Safety Manual

24
F. Disposal
EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Directive
In August 2005, the European Union implemented the EU WEEE
Directive 2002/96/EC and later the WEEE Recast Directive
2012/19/EU, requiring producers of electronic and electrical
equipment to manage and finance the collection, reuse, recycling
and to appropriately treat WEEE that the producer places on the EU
market after August 13, 2005.
The goal of this directive is to minimize the volume of electrical and
electronic waste disposal and to encourage re-use and recycling
at the end of life. When sent to landfill, WEEE decays over time,
resulting in hazardous materials leaking into the environment and
water supplies. WEEE Disposal also poses a number of health risks
that need to be adequately managed. For example, exposure to
substances released during processing (such as mercury released
from fluorescent tubes, lead and phosphorous pentachloride as a
result of breaking cathode ray tubes).
Automata has met its obligations to the WEEE Directive by signing
up to the UK’s Distributor Take Back Scheme. A tool to locate
suitable recycling services in your area is available from www.
recyclenow.com/local-recycling.